attempted suicide
a deliberate but unsuccessful attempt to take one’s own life. Research has suggested that older men who are of low socioeconomic status and who are single, divorced, or widowed are an especially high risk for suicide. Many studies have found an association between childhood physical or sexual abuse and a history of completed suicide attempts as well. Additional risk factors include hopelessness, heightened impulsivity, problem-solving deficits, perfectionism, a family history of suicide, and certain mental disorders (i.e., depression, bipolar disorder, substance dependence disorders, psychotic disorders). Although protective factors are studied far less commonly, one of the most consistently identified is a supportive social network or family. Also called suicide attempt.